First few weeks...

The first few weeks home were full of highs and lows. Every new mom goes through them but I didn't realize the roller coaster my emotions would be going on. Thank goodness for my so very patient husband and my extremely helpful mom! I can't imagine having to do that all alone!

Having had a C-section made it very difficult for me to do all the new baby stuff. I pretty much laid on the couch and fed him and fed myself. When my mom told me she was going to plan on leaving at the one week mark I still hadn't changed a diaper! I was a little freaked out to say the least. Luckily I began to feel better soon after and we survived!

Brodyn was such a good baby right off the bat! He was pretty much on his 3 hour schedule right away. He soon figured out that during the night he could stretch it out a little longer. I think he was waking up once between 2AM-5AM by week four! As long as he has a full stomach he's pretty much a happy little guy.

In the hospital he lost about a pound but by his 2 week appointment he had gained all of it back plus some. He weighed 10pds 5oz and was 24 inches long. The nurse was very impressed with how much he had grown!

Here are a few pictures from his first few weeks!

Mom and Baby Brodyn as the hospital

Kaytlyn and Joan came to visit!

He loves his swing!

First bath at the hospital!

Sleepy baby in his skeleton outfit at the hospital

Introducing...Brodyn Jasper

On October 21st our lives changed forever. We went from a happy family of two (plus a dog) to being the proud parents of a beautiful, healthy, 9.9 lb baby boy!

The day was full of surprises, one being going into labor a day before I was to be induced. This little guy was just a bit too comfy in there and I was certain that he was going to stay put until we went in on Monday, October 22nd.

Luckily late Saturday night I started to feel some strong contractions while we were eating dinner at Old Chicago. They were still hours apart so I didn't think too much of them. I woke up a couple times to more contractions but they were still too far apart so I tried to get some rest. Around 2AM on Sunday, October 21st I woke Morgan up and we decided to start keeping track of the contractions. By 4AM that night we called the labor and delivery nurse and she told us to come on in to get checked out.

The drive to the hospital was both exciting and nerve wracking. I remembered thinking three things.
1. this was our last car ride as a family of two and how strange that was
2. When should we call our parents (I was just a little excited)
3. During a contraction I told Morgan to avoid bumps at all costs!!! Ouch!

Around 6:30AM I received my epidural and called my parents who were planning on making the two hour drive to be here when the baby arrived. After those things were done I settled back and tried to relax because I knew I would need it come push time!

By 12:30PM I was fully dialated and ready to push! Morgan was a great support and really encouraged me throughout this whole process. The baby had made his way down pretty much right away but was stuck behind my pubic bone which proved to be a problem. Four hours later my doctor decided it was time to discuss having a C-section. I was so exhausted and beginning to feel very nauseaus so we decided that we would go ahead and have the C-section. After that I don't remember too much...between the meds I was given to calm me down and being so tired the rest of the process was pretty much a blur.

At 4:45PM we welcomed our chubby, beautiful little boy into the world. I remember looking over at him getting cleaned off and being amazed at all his little roles. He never really cried at all, which pretty much is his personality today as well.

After I was all cleaned up I was wheeled back to my room and got to spend a little bit of time with Morgan and our new baby, Brodyn Jasper.

Many people ask us where we got the name from. Brodyn was a name that I had heard from a baby who attended our church and Jasper was Morgan's Great Grandpa Orin's middle name. Growing up Morgan always was close with his Great Grandpa and they shared several similar interests. Orin passed away this past April and we wanted to honor him by naming our precious little guy after him.

The rest of the evening was spent introducing him to our families. Everyone was able to make it up and meet him that first night which was very special. He will be very spoiled by everyone!! Especially by both the Grandma's!

What an amazing, scary, thrilling, exhausing, roller coaster day it was. One that has changed me and my life forever!

Brodyn Jasper, you have taught me so much about love that I never understood before. Thank you for making me a mom and being such a amazing little guy. We can't wait to watch you grow and we pray you become a strong Christian man who loves life and is not afraid to stand up for whats right and be a leader.

Way Past Due...

It's probably about time that I catch up on my posts...I wish I could say that I've been really busy and have had no time, but that would be a lie. While we have been busy these past few weeks most of my laziness is just not wanting to download pics. So here we go!! On August 15th, Morgan and I celebrated our two year anniversary!! Since we were crazy busy that whole week we decided to postpone the celebration till a week later. We went to a awesome restaurant in Independence called the Okoboji Grill. The food was pretty good but we mostly went there because we heard the patio was awesome!! It is on a golf course that runs along a river (not sure which one...the cedar?) It was such a perfect night...we just sat out there and talked it was perfect!! Here is a picture of us with Berkley before we left!!

One of our favorite things to do is go to the UNI vs. IA State game!! Morgan went to Iowa State and I went to UNI so it's a really fun game for us to go too!! This year we asked our friends Bobbi and Nate to come along with us. Although it was a rainy day and a boring football game till the last 5 min. We had a lot of fun!! Here is a picture of Bobbi and I cheering on the Panthers!!!

Berkley and I started doing Pet Pals which is a group that visits nursing homes, hospice's, hospitals etc...We will be visiting the Western Home. He had his first visit last Saturday and he was a hit!! Those people LOVED him and Berkley loved all the attention he got!! We are excited to go back :) Here is a picture of us before we left!!

On the Farm!

Last weekend we spent the weekend up at Morgan's family farm in Allamakee county. The boys worked hard on putting tile down around the trailor and the girls worked hard shopping, napping, reading etc...although we did end up helping the last day!

Our 2nd Anniversary was Monday and for a gift to Morgan I took a couple pictures of Berkley up on the farm. I then went out and got a John Deere picture frame to put the picture in. It turned out really great...but hey I have a cute subject :) Here are a couple of the pictures I took!

The farm is really beautiful...it's set down in a valley with hills all around! It's really a great place to go to get away from crazy life. The best part is there is no cell phone reception I love that every now and then!

First Boat Ride!!

Last weekend we went out on our friends Nate and Bobbi's boat. It was a busy day at George Wyth Lake so we didn't get to do much driving around but it was still fun to layout, stick our feet in the water and just talk! Ok the boys probably would've rather been sking or wakeboarding :) Here a a couple pictures of Berkley on his frist boatride!!

My sister Kara was even able to join us for the day!

Somebody looks awfully comfy :)

Welcome Berkley Troendle!

This week we introduced a new member to our family...his name is Berkley!! He is a male cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle) and currently is weighing in at 3pds 2oz (he's SO tiny). He is so great!! At first we were kind of worried...he was VERY scared and didn't really want to do much. Since Monday he has begun to emerge out of his shell and we have seen some of his personality! Last night he managed to wedge his head between the back of our kitchen chairs. I didn't think to take a picture I was more concerned about getting him unstuck! He has also been doing so great on potty training. I can only blame myself for the few puddles we have had. One thing I was nervous about was his sleeping at night. The first few nights I barely got any sleep. My mom said just add 6 months and this is how it will feel to have a baby. Oh geez! Last night was a success though...he made it through the whole night with no bathroom break and no crying! He's a champ :)

Norwex Your House!

I have never been one to be all about organic, all natural stuff. But I have recently gotten hooked on Norwex Products. All I use is water to clean my whole entire house! The enviro cloth and polishing cloth are both constantly used in my house, my windows have never looked cleaner!! Goodbye streaks :)

I just recently bought the body pack and I use them to wash my face at night. All you use is water and the cloth...no more facewash!! My face has never felt cleaner...the fibers are so small in the cloths that they can just reach down into your pours and get all the oil, dirt ect.

I am now wanting to reach out and challenge myself to be more natural. If I get into the habit now I feel like it will be easier when I have a larger family to keep things healthy and safe for everyone! If you have any advice, recipes, products that I should try, please let me know :)